Lower the TF2?

[Ghost Koi]

Hey guys, one more question ...

I am going for a more "stock" look and exprience with my TF2 and was wondering if anyone on here as attempted to lower their TF2.

I have tried to lower the body but ran into problems with the Electronics Box and the motor. Would shorter shocks work? What problems could I expect?

Here is the look I am going for.

[scalemadness]

Smaller tires and mounting the axles ontop the leaf springs is one option

[HARDRIVE]

I think if you turn the leafs spring upside down that would lower it
Or youll need to fabricate your own leaf spring

[Crutch]

Smaller shocks would help with lowering the body. The leaf springs may have to be modded somehow. Like scalemadness said you could try mounting under axels or you could buy or make some a little shorter to make up the difference in size. I'm thinking they will be a bit to long.

[new2rocks]

If you remove the internal springs from the shocks (which you should do anyway) and switch to the red leafs with full-length helpers (look at my threads for more info on those), ride height will drop and should get you close to where you want to be. If you still want to go lower, leaf under axle would be your next move.

[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

If you remove the springs from the shocks (which you should do anyway) and switch to the red springs with full-length helpers (look at my threads for more info on those), ride height will drop and should get you close to where you want to be. If you still want to go lower, leaf under axle would be your next move.

Thanks! Just to clarify, I should remove the springs from the stock silver shocks ? I looked around but was wondering which red springs (leafs or for shocks)....

[new2rocks]

Yes to removing the "internal" springs from the shocks and I meant red "leaf" springs. Sorry for being confusing, lol.


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[HARDRIVE]

It runs smoother without those springs thanx rock

[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by HARDRIVE

It runs smoother without those springs thanx rock

Nice! Were they difficult to remove? I haven't had a chance to check it out yet...

[Reflektr]

Originally Posted by Ghost Koi

Nice! Were they difficult to remove? I haven't had a chance to check it out yet...

No sir... Easy as pie. Just take the shocks off, twist off the caps on top, and the internal spring should pop right up. Take 'er on outta there, cap it, bleed the shock, or add fluid... Oh, and while you have the shocks off this may be a great time to add some thread lock to the lower threads on the shock shaft...



...because stuff coming apart is never a good time.

[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

If you remove the internal springs from the shocks (which you should do anyway) and switch to the red leafs with full-length helpers (look at my threads for more info on those), ride height will drop and should get you close to where you want to be. If you still want to go lower, leaf under axle would be your next move.

In attempting to put the leaf springs under the axle, I had to turn the axles 180 degrees (flipping them upside down) and now, after connecting the drive shafts, the tires no longer spin freely. It feels as though something is "locked" and the wheels won't move.
What could have gone wrong? Even after removing the axles and simply trying to move the drive shafts by hand they will not move.

[new2rocks]

What happens when you turn the spur gear by hand?


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[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

What happens when you turn the spur gear by hand?


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That also seems to be "locked" up. If I try and force it though, it does move a little however it is not a smooth movement at all (more choppy).

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Ghost Koi

That also seems to be "locked" up. If I try and force it though, it does move a little however it is not a smooth movement at all (more choppy).

The best thing to do in a situation like this is try some isolation testing. First disconnect the motor and unscrew one of the transmission to transfer case shaft screws (so that the tranny can spin independently of the transfer case) and see if you can turn the spur gear smoothly (there should be very little resistance). If not, the problem is in your transmission. If that spins smoothly with little resistance, try spinning the transfer case outputs (or input, doesn't matter) to see if that spins freely. If not, the problem is in your transfer case. If the tranny and transfer case both spin smoothly, next up would be testing the motor by powering it up and seeing if it spins without overheating. Going through that sequence should help you find the source of the problem. Feel free to report back...

[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

The best thing to do in a situation like this is try some isolation testing. First disconnect the motor and unscrew one of the transmission to transfer case shaft screws (so that the tranny can spin independently of the transfer case) and see if you can turn the spur gear smoothly (there should be very little resistance). If not, the problem is in your transmission. If that spins smoothly with little resistance, try spinning the transfer case outputs (or input, doesn't matter) to see if that spins freely. If not, the problem is in your transfer case. If the tranny and transfer case both spin smoothly, next up would be testing the motor by powering it up and seeing if it spins without overheating. Going through that sequence should help you find the source of the problem. Feel free to report back...

Is there a a chance this was caused by reversing my axles? It seemed logical that I could rotate them around 180 degrees (reversing them) but now I am having my doubts. Really, I am just wondering if I need to reverse them back to their original position... thanks for the help and I'll let you know how the testing goes when I get back later today!

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Ghost Koi

Is there a a chance this was caused by reversing my axles? It seemed logical that I could rotate them around 180 degrees (reversing them) but now I am having my doubts. Really, I am just wondering if I need to reverse them back to their original position... thanks for the help and I'll let you know how the testing goes when I get back later today!

Doesn't sound like flipping the axles was the problem from your earlier post. Depending on exactly what you did, it's possible that you ended up with one of the axles spinning in reverse. But that's easy to isolate, because the axles will spin freely (albiet in opposite directions) when they are lifted off the ground. But if things weren't spinning well even when you disconnected the axles, the problem is somewhere else. If the problem shows up only when you have the axles connected to the tranny case and with wheels lifted off the ground, then one (or both) axles might be the problem. One way to test the axles is to disconnect them from the drive shafts and see if they spin freely when disconnected. But it all comes back to isolation testing - isolate out each component to see if it spins freely on its own. If they all spin freely on their own, then your problem is most likely binding. The best way to isolate binding is to start connecting things one at a time and retest. The point at which the binding reappears is the point where your binding is taking place.

[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

Doesn't sound like flipping the axles was the problem from your earlier post. Depending on exactly what you did, it's possible that you ended up with one of the axles spinning in reverse. But that's easy to isolate, because the axles will spin freely (albiet in opposite directions) when they are lifted off the ground. But if things weren't spinning well even when you disconnected the axles, the problem is somewhere else. If the problem shows up only when you have the axles connected to the tranny case and with wheels lifted off the ground, then one (or both) axles might be the problem. One way to test the axles is to disconnect them from the drive shafts and see if they spin freely when disconnected. But it all comes back to isolation testing - isolate out each component to see if it spins freely on its own. If they all spin freely on their own, then your problem is most likely binding. The best way to isolate binding is to start connecting things one at a time and retest. The point at which the binding reappears is the point where your binding is taking place.

Alright, so the wheels move freely (definitely not the axles!). I disconnected the transmission and that also spins freely. Now the trouble... The larger gear spins freely after removing the motor but when I went to spin the motor it only spun in (stages). By stages I mean, there was resistance when I turned the gear but it still moved freely in some areas. When I turned it continuously, it felt bumpy and rough. As an aside, I noticed that my metal pliers were attracted to it when I was unscrewing the shocks so maybe that contributed to it?

Essentially, I am wondering if the motor should also turn freely when removed or if it should feel bumpy/rough when turning it.

Since the transmission turns freely along with the larger gear and the axles, what should I do?

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Ghost Koi

Alright, so the wheels move freely (definitely not the axles!). I disconnected the transmission and that also spins freely. Now the trouble... The larger gear spins freely after removing the motor but when I went to spin the motor it only spun in (stages). By stages I mean, there was resistance when I turned the gear but it still moved freely in some areas. When I turned it continuously, it felt bumpy and rough. As an aside, I noticed that my metal pliers were attracted to it when I was unscrewing the shocks so maybe that contributed to it?



Essentially, I am wondering if the motor should also turn freely when removed or if it should feel bumpy/rough when turning it.



Since the transmission turns freely along with the larger gear and the axles, what should I do?

The motor itself doesn't turn freely by hand because of the magnets inside. You can do a quick check of the motor by hooking it up to your ESC (but disconnected from the tranny) and giving it some power. It should run smoothly without sparking or getting hot too quickly. If it's jumpy, it sparks, or doesn't run smoothly, then there is a problem with the motor. Also, FYI, if you were trying to spin the wheels or driveshafts while everything was hooked up and you had power to the motor, your drag brake probably would have prevented you from turning the wheels (which would be completely normal).

[Ghost Koi]

Originally Posted by new2rocks

The motor itself doesn't turn freely by hand because of the magnets inside. You can do a quick check of the motor by hooking it up to your ESC (but disconnected from the tranny) and giving it some power. It should run smoothly without sparking or getting hot too quickly. If it's jumpy, it sparks, or doesn't run smoothly, then there is a problem with the motor. Also, FYI, if you were trying to spin the wheels or driveshafts while everything was hooked up and you had power to the motor, your drag brake probably would have prevented you from turning the wheels (which would be completely normal).

When I spun the wheels the battery was not connected. Could it still be my drag break?

[new2rocks]

Originally Posted by Ghost Koi

When I spun the wheels the battery was not connected. Could it still be my drag break?

Nope. Drag brake only engages when there is power to the ESC and motor is connected.


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